Management in 21st century

Management in 21st century:

Managers occupy roles with authority over others. But when knowledge workers manage themselves, management is a process in which all can engage. Yet, in our efforts to define management, we persist in calling it a role, thus for managers only.

Industrial age organizations are formal hierarchies made up of roles. But a focus on roles puts all the power in the hands of managers, making management a top-down, controlling function. Industrial age managers governed employees by planning, organizing and controlling their work.

But today we talk of managing one's boss, relationships with strategic partners, suppliers and customers. If partners can manage their relationship with each other, then management cannot be a one-sided controlling activity. Also, if you can manage your boss, then management isn't restricted to the use of authority to control people reporting to you.

Management is much broader than what managers do to get work done through employees. We can manage ourselves, our time and many other activities that don't require being in a formal managerial role or managing people. The function of management, as distinct from the role of manager, is now everyone's business.

The truth is that the role of manager is only a particular application of management, not the whole story. A broader perspective avoids the negative connotations so commonly attributed to management. Moreover, employee engagement, especially of innovative knowledge workers, cannot happen until we move beyond our industrial age preconceptions.

In modern, post-industrial organizations, all employees need to manage. Self-managing teams use complex systems to help them manage their own work. Precise performance measures are openly accessible. Knowledge workers not only don't need to be told what to do, they often know better than their managers.